HELP- Lots of Reset Weight gain and how to deal mentally
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michellestiff1
Posts: 12 Member
Hi All,
I am in week 4 of my metabolic reset. Like most of you, I am coming from a background of caloric restriction off and on since age 13 and for the past year or so I have been strict Paleo. I have had some hormonal imbalances before I started Paleo but when basically only have had 2 period in 14 months since being on Paleo and it was because I took some progesterone. However now I am on HRT and still no period and I am 31 and want to have a baby which is the catalyst for all of this. I am so sick of depriving myself and feeling bad about myself. I have put my body through the ringer and now I know it will need time to heal.
That being said, I have gained 15+ pounds and none of my clothes fit anymore! Before the reset I was 134lbs, 23%BF and nnow I am too scared to step on the scale. I know some of this is edema but it really freaks me out. I was hoping to hear from some of you who this might of happened to and how to get through this and try to focus on the FUTURE and not my immediate discomfort. It is hard because I live in a rural part Africa and there are not many shops here so I feel fat and frumpy
HELP!
I am in week 4 of my metabolic reset. Like most of you, I am coming from a background of caloric restriction off and on since age 13 and for the past year or so I have been strict Paleo. I have had some hormonal imbalances before I started Paleo but when basically only have had 2 period in 14 months since being on Paleo and it was because I took some progesterone. However now I am on HRT and still no period and I am 31 and want to have a baby which is the catalyst for all of this. I am so sick of depriving myself and feeling bad about myself. I have put my body through the ringer and now I know it will need time to heal.
That being said, I have gained 15+ pounds and none of my clothes fit anymore! Before the reset I was 134lbs, 23%BF and nnow I am too scared to step on the scale. I know some of this is edema but it really freaks me out. I was hoping to hear from some of you who this might of happened to and how to get through this and try to focus on the FUTURE and not my immediate discomfort. It is hard because I live in a rural part Africa and there are not many shops here so I feel fat and frumpy
HELP! 0
Replies
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Hi Michelle,
So glad you joined the forum.
Ok, so what is your BMR and TDEE? What is your exercise routine? I know this initial part is difficult and we are here to help you through it.
Lucia0 -
Just hold on and as Kiki always says, "Trust the process". I gained the first several weeks doing EM2WL. But then when the weight started coming off I felt so good because I was losing weight and eating:noway: .Yes, it is so nice to be able to lose weight while not starving ones self. Just hang in there, you CAN do this!0
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Hi there
My BMR is 1439 and my TDEE is 2200. I haven't been logging for the first few weeks of this reset because i just needed to get away from the restriction mindset. Now I am doing better. I still dont have your ebook though Lucia, is there any way I can get it and send you a cheque?
I am coming from a background of OVER - exercising. I own my own fitness studio, so was teaching 2-3 hours of classes per day. The year before that I had lost my period when I was doing Eat Stop It, I got it back for 3 months and then stopped getting my period when I was doing all that exercise.
So now I am doing a very light exercise regime: Weight 30 minutes 1-2x per week, Pilates 1-2x per week, yoga 2x per week, walking 45 minutes 5x per week.0 -
Hi Michelle,
Email me your information at lucia@em2wl.com .0 -
Well, you still exercise quite alot. You should be a fit healthy individual at that level. Am I right?? Maybe you should still eat even more than that.
I exercise 30 min per day, either weight training 2x a week, doing yoga 1 time or walking for 30 min or so. Then add in my NEAT and I get 26-2700 per day. I`m 5'9" and 185 or so. I keep thinking my fitbit must be wrong to think I should eat this much. Everyone in the group says the fit bit underestimates because it only counts steps. So true! I need to eat a lot.
I am with you in spirit. I am also struggling through the reset for the second time because I gave up last time. I did a whole nother year of restricting on and off and never lost a lb. This is the only thing I haven`t tried and completely followed through with yet. So, let`s do it for the long haul.
some of the moderaters on this group were there with me last year and stuck it out. Now they are eating more and weigh a lot less. Me, I am still the same.
Stick with it. I know we can do it together.
Add me if you want.0 -
Hi Michelle,
Email me your information at lucia@em2wl.com .0 -
Hey there, you are def not moderate in your activity. You are at least Very Active. You should consider bumping up to that TDEE:-)0
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Getting through it mentally is the toughest part. I came from a very unhealthy state...I'd been in a VLCD for years and doing way too much exercise. I was very sick, mentally and physically by the time I came to EM2WL...taking a lot of medications and breaking bones and I could not lose weight. In fact I was slowly gaining despite barely eating and exercising so much.
I had to reset for a whole year, including a bulk/lifting phase towards the end. (I tried to cut a few times throughout and my body reminded me every time that it wasn't ready for a cut). I gained over 15lbs in that year. I cried, I felt stuffed, I had water retention like crazy (even my ankles were stiff and achy from water retention), I felt fat and heavy and cumbersome. I can honestly say it was the worst year of my life and the BEST thing I ever did for myself.
I can now easily and comfortably eat anywhere from 1800 - 2200 calories a day and lose weight. Slowly and properly and without starving myself or exercising to death. The reset is hard, but it works. It does more than fix your metabolism, it heals your mind too. I am still a work in progress, but I can testify to the fact that it's worth it and it does work.
Hang in there. You'll be glad you did.0 -
So now I am doing a very light exercise regime: Weight 30 minutes 1-2x per week, Pilates 1-2x per week, yoga 2x per week, walking 45 minutes 5x per week.
How much time in those activities? Lifting and walking is the only thing you mention.
And is the 1-2 x weekly mean some stuff trades each week, or literally sometimes workouts are missed? (like you either do the lifting or the pilates or the yoga, but one of them gets done?)
How much harder effort is the pilates compared to yoga?
How fast do you walk for 45 min? Flat or up and down outside?
How does the yoga and pilates effort compare to walking that pace?
As you can imagine, 1 hr of walking is not the same burn as 1 hr lifting as 1 hr of running as 1 hr of yoga.
Depending on the time spent, like merely 30 min on each when really done, your TDEE of course could be as high as if you did 1 hr of each, or some days 2 hrs total.
I just think more info required to better fine tune the TDEE.0 -
Thanks so much for all this information. It really really helps to know that others have gone through this and come out the other end. My husband, ever the cynic (he eats low carb, works out about 2 hours a day and 9% BF) said "well how do you know these women actually are telling the truth about how much they eat." GRRRRR. He irritates me sometimes!
In terms of the TDEE and activity, it is hard because that stuff is so subjective. To me, Pilates and Yoga are easy but then clients who come to those classes think the classes are tough. I used to wear my heart rate monitor to see calories burned (which I know isn't accurate) and it would say about 200 calories for an hour class for Yoga/Pilates for the Step classes I used to teach mine would say 400 but clients would say 600-800 calories. So I don't really know. The walking is about 5km total- 40-50 minutes with some hills but basically flat.
I just listened to one of Layne Norton's metabolic damage videos which I love and I am very confused because he says to add calories and carbs SLOWLY- but I just went in, whole hog, to my TDEE. I want to get better sooner than later- is this the best approach or should I have done this more slowly and gradually? I have gone from eating less than 50g per day of carbs to almost 200. Is this too much too soon? Is this why I have had such a huge increase in fat? If this is all I will gain, I am fine with that but I am scared it is going to keep going up and up and I am going to get out of control. I do NOT want to see the number on the scale right now because it is going to give me an anxiety attack and set me back. I am not sure what to do.0 -
Hi Lucia,
What information did you want me to send you? I will send you whatever you would like me to send
You just have no idea how happy I am to be part of this "family" 0 -
Thanks so much for all this information. It really really helps to know that others have gone through this and come out the other end. My husband, ever the cynic (he eats low carb, works out about 2 hours a day and 9% BF) said "well how do you know these women actually are telling the truth about how much they eat." GRRRRR. He irritates me sometimes!
In terms of the TDEE and activity, it is hard because that stuff is so subjective. To me, Pilates and Yoga are easy but then clients who come to those classes think the classes are tough. I used to wear my heart rate monitor to see calories burned (which I know isn't accurate) and it would say about 200 calories for an hour class for Yoga/Pilates for the Step classes I used to teach mine would say 400 but clients would say 600-800 calories. So I don't really know. The walking is about 5km total- 40-50 minutes with some hills but basically flat.
I just listened to one of Layne Norton's metabolic damage videos which I love and I am very confused because he says to add calories and carbs SLOWLY- but I just went in, whole hog, to my TDEE. I want to get better sooner than later- is this the best approach or should I have done this more slowly and gradually? I have gone from eating less than 50g per day of carbs to almost 200. Is this too much too soon? Is this why I have had such a huge increase in fat? If this is all I will gain, I am fine with that but I am scared it is going to keep going up and up and I am going to get out of control. I do NOT want to see the number on the scale right now because it is going to give me an anxiety attack and set me back. I am not sure what to do.
If you were not losing inches or weight on say 1400 a day, and you went up to 2000, than until your metabolism comes up, yes, you have 600 calorie surplus daily.
500 daily is 1 lb weekly gain in fat. So sure it could add up depending on how slow metabolism comes up.
So yes, slower is better. Same as malnourished people need a gradual re-introduction of proper food levels. It'll mess up their gut and cause just as much stress to their system as the other direction. Just depends on the amount of deficit really there from what it potentially could be.
Now fast water weight gain doesn't count, same water weight you lost when you start a diet - was going to come back anyway.
The activity should be subjective to you, not to others. Comparing between stuff is excellent, mainly with heart rate - not calorie burn.
If the same HR walking and doing a class, then about the same calorie burn. And the formula's for calculating calorie burn on walking are more accurate than HRM estimates.
Well, if you want a chance at better TDEE estimate, use this with your time.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1018770-better-rough-tdee-estimate-than-5-level-chart0 -
OK thanks for this will look at the calculator.
So I am not sure what to do then-I have already been eating around 2000 calories per day for the past 3-4 weeks....should I just stay at that or should I lower? I have no idea how much I have gained now since I am not weighing but nothing fits, so I know it is not good. But I just want to go get through this and not prolong the process....0 -
OK thanks for this will look at the calculator.
So I am not sure what to do then-I have already been eating around 2000 calories per day for the past 3-4 weeks....should I just stay at that or should I lower? I have no idea how much I have gained now since I am not weighing but nothing fits, so I know it is not good. But I just want to go get through this and not prolong the process....
Oh, you should be weighing weekly, no other way to distinguish between fast water weight gains and slow fat gains because you are eating over your TDEE.
If you were to add on 100 extra daily each week, would you be at this point by now anyway?
If not, go to whatever point that would be in gradual progression, though the worst is over probably by now.
But it's only by knowing how much you slowly gain doing the planned workout you will continue that you'll know where true TDEE is.
For instance, if at the end of reset you gain 1 lb slowly over 2 weeks, then you are eating 250 over real TDEE.0 -
OK I weighed myself. I have gained 13 lbs in about 5 weeks Horrific! I would say about 6 -8 lbs of what I have gained is actual fat, the rest water that I would have gained back instantly any way. Lucia had mentioned maybe I should stay off the scale for a while but I just bit the bullet, my heart was racing! Oh well, at least I know now. Should I just weigh daily and use that site to track the trends in weight?
I was starting out at 1300 -1500 calories per day. So after 5 weeks I would be around 2000, so yes I guess I right about there. Maybe I just need to stick to 2000 for a while and see what happens. It is very confusing and I really don't want to continue to gain at this rate. Thank you for your help!0 -
Stick with the 2000 calories and complete the reset! Five weeks is not long enough to repair the damage you have done with VLCD. I am also in week five of my reset and have gained five pounds (all of it in my belly, I think!). I am committed to doing this for five more weeks at least. I just don't want to stop part way through and have these past weeks been wasted.
Try to focus on the positives - surely there are some. I have tons of energy for my workouts (New Rules of Lifting for Women), I am not obsessing over what I am going to eat next, my libido has increased (at 46 years old!).
You are not alone! Many of us are going through this with you. Reaching out to others is the best thing you can do for yourself right now.0 -
OK I weighed myself. I have gained 13 lbs in about 5 weeks Horrific! I would say about 6 -8 lbs of what I have gained is actual fat, the rest water that I would have gained back instantly any way. Lucia had mentioned maybe I should stay off the scale for a while but I just bit the bullet, my heart was racing! Oh well, at least I know now. Should I just weigh daily and use that site to track the trends in weight?
I was starting out at 1300 -1500 calories per day. So after 5 weeks I would be around 2000, so yes I guess I right about there. Maybe I just need to stick to 2000 for a while and see what happens. It is very confusing and I really don't want to continue to gain at this rate. Thank you for your help!
Since you haven't been weighing, remember you have no idea what the current rate is.
Current rate for last 2 weeks could be nothing, could be 1/2 lb, could be 1 lb, just don't know. So indeed stick there.
Some have a metabolism that jumps right back up quickly, they have no issue increasing calories by a lot.
Some have a metabolism that is will to drop fast, but not build back up fast.
And of course the TDEE estimate you have was based on BMR at previous weight, your BMR is higher now with more weight, though your TDEE might not change.
But whatever the TDEE ends up being in reality through testing, divided by current weight BMR (hopefully Katch BMR based on bodyfat%), is your activity factor, no matter if it exactly matches 1 of 5 rough levels.
6-8 lbs of fat in 5 weeks?
Always do the math with this to see if possibly even fat, and this is gain or loss. Taking the low end estimate for example.
Also, were both weigh-ins valid days?
Morning after rest day eating normal sodium levels, not sore from last workout. Anything else will have false gain or loss to it, skewing the math for just 2 data points.
LB's gained x 3500 calories in lb of fat / days to gain or lose = daily deficit or excess
6 x 3500 / 35 = 600 calories daily over TDEE.
So you really think over the last 5 weeks, you have eaten every day on average 600 calories over your TDEE? Actually, if you think 8 lbs, that's 800 over.
Eating 2000 daily you were, that would imply your real TDEE over the course of that time has remained at 1400-1200 calories.
And you know that's not the case, don't you.
So no, you didn't gain that much fat.
But, I would confirm you are using best estimates of BMR and TDEE in the spreadsheet referenced in that post I referenced.
You may indeed still be eating over TDEE by 100-200, depending on what your best BMR estimate is.0 -
Thanks for this. That chart is a bit confusing to me, and giving me a bit of anxiety. I think I will come back to it later, it is too much for my overwhelmed brain at the moment. Honestly, logging all my food is not the most ideal approach for me with my past and ED but I am doing it for now just so I have the data.
I am going to continue to eat 2000-2200 and see where it takes me. One of my clients commented today on my weight gain because I mentioned it first not because she was being mean and I asked, but this is hard! The thing is, it doesn't actually feel like jiggly fat, and she even commented that I still look firm and like it is muscle but I don't know about that. I just want to be able to hide instead of having my body on display for all of my clients to see.
I really don't know if the weight gain is fat or not, I wasn't logging my food for the first 3 weeks, so I very well could have been eating 2600 calories or even 3000. I have no idea. I guess that is why I need to log and have as much data as possible but my goal in the long run is to intuitively eat.
Has there been anyone who has documented this process through the various and what they went through, their feelings and so on....and ultimately their success? That would be so helpful!0 -
Thanks for this. That chart is a bit confusing to me, and giving me a bit of anxiety. I think I will come back to it later, it is too much for my overwhelmed brain at the moment. Honestly, logging all my food is not the most ideal approach for me with my past and ED but I am doing it for now just so I have the data.
I am going to continue to eat 2000-2200 and see where it takes me. One of my clients commented today on my weight gain because I mentioned it first not because she was being mean and I asked, but this is hard! The thing is, it doesn't actually feel like jiggly fat, and she even commented that I still look firm and like it is muscle but I don't know about that. I just want to be able to hide instead of having my body on display for all of my clients to see.
I really don't know if the weight gain is fat or not, I wasn't logging my food for the first 3 weeks, so I very well could have been eating 2600 calories or even 3000. I have no idea. I guess that is why I need to log and have as much data as possible but my goal in the long run is to intuitively eat.
Has there been anyone who has documented this process through the various and what they went through, their feelings and so on....and ultimately their success? That would be so helpful!
Personally, I also experience a lot of anxiety and stress when I get too wrapped up in the numbers. I find myself stressing over calories burned and how many calories are in each and every thing I eat. Remember, stress of any kind will stop weight loss in its tracks!
I found that I had the most success when I stopped stressing over the numbers so much and just tried to enjoy the process... I concentrated on eating as clean and healthfully as I could and really concentrated on enjoying my food and not stressing too much over the numbers. If I was not hungry one particular day and was under by a few hundred calories - no worries! Surely the next day I would be over by a couple hundred. As long as it all evened out over time.
Same thing with the exercise. I stopped doing the cardio workouts that I absolutely dreaded and really started concentrating on the lifting. I start out each lifting workout reminding myself about "enjoying the process". And for the cardio, I decided that since the only cardio I really enjoy is hiking, I now do that exclusively on the weekends. No more dread and stressing over doing workouts I hate.
Yes, the numbers are very important, but at least for me, so much of this process has been mental. Once I stopped stressing over every calorie consumed or burned I settled into a relaxed routine. Now, I never weigh myself and just go on how my clothes fit and how I feel. If I start feeling "fluffy", I kick up the hike intensity and length and cut out a snack until I "de-fluff". For me, the scale is such a stressor and I am just happier avoiding it (as long as my clothes fit!)
Everyone needs to find out what works best for them - for me, not stressing over each and every number has been the answer. I log my food for a few days when I change calorie goals or just to check periodically. I have a BodyMedia Fit and run a report every month or so and adjust my eating as necessary. Enjoy the process, and enjoy life! :-)0 -
Thanks for this. That chart is a bit confusing to me, and giving me a bit of anxiety. I think I will come back to it later, it is too much for my overwhelmed brain at the moment. Honestly, logging all my food is not the most ideal approach for me with my past and ED but I am doing it for now just so I have the data.
I am going to continue to eat 2000-2200 and see where it takes me. One of my clients commented today on my weight gain because I mentioned it first not because she was being mean and I asked, but this is hard! The thing is, it doesn't actually feel like jiggly fat, and she even commented that I still look firm and like it is muscle but I don't know about that. I just want to be able to hide instead of having my body on display for all of my clients to see.
I really don't know if the weight gain is fat or not, I wasn't logging my food for the first 3 weeks, so I very well could have been eating 2600 calories or even 3000. I have no idea. I guess that is why I need to log and have as much data as possible but my goal in the long run is to intuitively eat.
Has there been anyone who has documented this process through the various and what they went through, their feelings and so on....and ultimately their success? That would be so helpful!
Just wanted to share that you are not alone in your journey! I am 5' 4", was 135# when I started my reset. I came from a overexercising/undereating background. Absolutely unintentional on my part (I even swore up and down to a doctor that I was eating enough when I really wasn't). Fast forward to me discovering EM2WL. I figured my TDEE to be around 2200 calories and did an 11 week reset. I think maybe I should have done longer, as even though I am at a 10% cut right now I haven't lost any weight at all. I gained 10 lbs during my reset and that is HARD to deal with. My bloat is gone now, no muffin top over my pants any more and my shirts fit better, but it's just hard to know that I'm the heaviest I have ever been without being pregnant. I know weight doesn't measure awesome, but my hubby was also deployed and came home right at the end of my reset so he got to see me in all my fluffy glory. Mentally hard and I am there with you. I am not too concerned right now about weight loss per se, but I want to start seeing changes as I'm lifting. I'm hoping to have a success story, though success doesn't happen over night (so I keep reminding myself!). Good luck (I'm going to send you a friend's request). 0
